mindyourmind wrote:What's with all the God, Jesus and Bible threads, guys?

I guess it's due to this being a primarily US-centric site. It's certainly weird for those of us who have never had any connection with christianty.

Look at the unfathomable spinelessness of man: all the means he's been given to stay alert he uses, in the end, to ornament his sleep. – Rene Daumalthe modern mind has become so limited and single-visioned that it has lost touch with normal perception - John Michell

I didn't mean to offend. That is my understanding as a Buddhist and from the Buddhist perspective.Each one of us interprets all different teaching differently depending on your beliefs.

"The fact that many religions share some similarities, in some cases superficial, doesn't mean they teach the same. They clearly don't.I'm sure you mean well, but you are not doing a good service to anyone by saying things like that."

You don't think all spiritual teachings lead to the same thing? I think the Dalai Lama has said the same.I guess I don't understand this one.

All true spiritual and religious teaching leads to the same thing. Some are deeper than others depending on where we are in the desire realm. The goal is to get us closer to our true nature.

This is new age nonsense, I'm sorry, friend.The fact that many religions share some similarities, in some cases superficial, doesn't mean they teach the same. They clearly don't.

I'm sure you mean well, but you are not doing a good service to anyone by saying things like that.

"Some are deeper than others"All spiritual teaching no matter whether it's from Catholic, Baptist, Buddhist, or the original Hebrew text that was used in the Bible has a level of depth to it. Tantra is deeper than Sutra for example.

In Buddhist Tantra it is taught that each of us is born in different realms according to our Karma. If we have a low birth then a teaching will appear high while the same teaching to a high birthed person will determine it as low. This is what I mean by some teachings are deeper than others depending on where we are in the desire realm. This is Buddhism, not something made up.

"The goal is to get us closer to our true nature." As buddhists this is why we meditate. For people of other religions they have the same nature as Buddhist. We are all human.People of other religions strive for Heaven and they get closer to their nature through faith, merit, worship, and devotion (church). Wisdom is the apparent difference between Buddhists and other religions.

Xabir, 'What I realized also is that authoritative self-realized students of direct students of both Ramana Maharishi and Nisargadatta Maharaj called me a 'Jnani', inviting me to give satsangs and write books'. Who are these so called authoritative self realized students of Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta? I thought that both of these extradordinary, spiritual giants chose no one and that there is no direct linage!

greentara wrote:Xabir, 'What I realized also is that authoritative self-realized students of direct students of both Ramana Maharishi and Nisargadatta Maharaj called me a 'Jnani', inviting me to give satsangs and write books'. Who are these so called authoritative self realized students of Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta? I thought that both of these extradordinary, spiritual giants chose no one and that there is no direct linage!

I don't know greentara, you may want to personally ask Alex Weith, he can be contacted through the Kenneth Folk Dharma forum where those posts first appeared.

greentara wrote:Xabir, 'What I realized also is that authoritative self-realized students of direct students of both Ramana Maharishi and Nisargadatta Maharaj called me a 'Jnani', inviting me to give satsangs and write books'. Who are these so called authoritative self realized students of Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta? I thought that both of these extradordinary, spiritual giants chose no one and that there is no direct linage!

This is seriously off-topic, but the only living person I believe to be liberated within the Ramama Maharshi lineage is Lakshmana Swamy (now in his 90s I believe). There is a wonderful biography of him by David Godman, a highly respected author of a number of books on RM's teachings and his direct disciples. The book is called No Mind, I am the Self: http://davidgodman.org/books/nomind.shtml. RM appointed no spiritual successors. He never gave initiation or accepted disciples in the traditional sense. He tended to "initiate" people by gaze. Don't know anything about the Nisargadatta lineage.

All things are unworthy of clinging to (sabbe dhammā nâla abhinivesāyā). --Shakyamuni BuddhaWanting to grasp the ungraspable, you exhaust yourself in vain. --Gendun Rinpoche

WHat do you think are the source of other religions like for example Islam etc. ?When I was small,I am pretty convinced Buddhism is the real one,but later on let just say I read things that suggest other religions have thier own credibility too.What are your thoughts?

P/S:I am more of theravada but nevertheless I am interested in what vajrayana and mahayana buddhists think about this.Thnks.

http://www.buddhanet.net/budasa4.htmIf we open any recent book on the origins of religion, we find that there is one point on which all authors are in agreement. They all agree in saying that religion arose in the world out of fear. Primitive forest-dwelling man feared thunder and lightning, darkness and storms, and various things about him that he was unable to understand or control. His method of avoiding the danger he saw in these phenomena was to demonstrate either humility and submission or homage and reverence, depending on which he felt was most appropriate.

Later, as man's knowledge and understanding developed, this fear of the forces of nature changed into a fear of phenomena more difficult to apprehend. Religions based on deference to objects of fear such as natural phenomena, spirits and celestial beings, came to be looked down upon as unreasonable and ridiculous. And then man's fear became still more refined into a fear of suffering, suffering of the sort that cannot be alleviated by any material means. He came to fear the suffering inherent in birth, ageing, pain and death, the disappointment and hopelessness which arise out of desire, anger and stupidity, which no amount of power or wealth can relieve.

Long ago in India, a country well provided with thinkers and investigators, intelligent people dispensed with all paying of homage to supernatural beings and started seeking instead the means of conquering birth, ageing, pain and death, the means of eliminating greed, hatred and delusion.

Out of this search arose Buddhism, a higher religion based on insight, a means of conquering birth, ageing, pain and death, a method for destroying the mental defilements. Buddhism has its origins in fear of this last kind, just as do all religions based on intelligence. The Buddha discovered how to conquer absolutely what man fears: he discovered a practical method, now called Buddhism for eliminating suffering.

Miracles exist in every religious tradition. In themselves they prove nothing.

Look at the unfathomable spinelessness of man: all the means he's been given to stay alert he uses, in the end, to ornament his sleep. – Rene Daumalthe modern mind has become so limited and single-visioned that it has lost touch with normal perception - John Michell